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Congress Announced as 2010 Deadline Approaches

IRELAND

5 January 2008

While 2008's scientific congress in Delft is fast approaching, some of us are looking further ahead to 2010. This crucial GSPC 'deadline' year will be fascinating for all involved in plant conservation and the location will be Dublin's botanic garden.

An announcement that the 2010 Botanic Gardens Congress would be held in Dublin, hosted by the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, was made in the presence of Mr Bertie Ahern T.D., the Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland.

The Taoiseach welcomed the announcement and congratulated the National Botanic Gardens on undertaking to act as host the Congress.

The Director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Dr Peter Wyse Jackson, said

"We are delighted to have been chosen as the host institution for the 2010 Congress. We look forward to having botanic garden delegates from all around the world in Ireland in 2010 and guarantee them a warm Irish welcome.

"The Congress will be a crucial and important event, as 2010 marks the culmination of the current phase of work on both the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the international Biodiversity target (to reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010).

"The Congress will be central and fundamental to ensuring that the vital work on biodiversity being undertaken by botanic gardens throughout the world can be carefully planned and refocussed for the coming decade".

The 3rd Global Botanic Gardens Congress attracted nearly 1,000 participants from 67 countries. A total 202 oral and 145 poster presentations were given during the week in Wuhan, China and these are now available to all online along with pictures and other records of the meeting.